Through exercise of an option with Moderna, Inc., Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance will purchase another 176.5 million doses of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine in an effort to help low income countries over the course of the next year, through the COVAX Facility.
With this purchase, COVAX will have purchased more than 210 million doses total for delivery to these nations. While some 34 million doses are still slated for delivery in this final quarter of 2021, the newly purchased doses will be spread out over the first (116.5 million doses) and second quarters (60 million doses) of 2022. As part of the arrangement, Moderna pledged to offer these doses at its lowest tiered price — approximately $10 per 100 µg dose.
“We support COVAX’s mission to ensure broad, affordable and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and this agreement is an important pillar of our access strategy,” Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, said. “We believe our vaccine can play an important role in addressing the needs of low income countries given its combination of high Phase 3 efficacy against COVID-19, strong durability in the real-world evidence, and superior storage and handling conditions. We recognize that access to all vaccines, including ours, continues to be a challenge in many parts of the world which is one of the reasons why we have worked hard to enable a 50 µg booster dose, which will increase the number of usable booster doses available to low income countries at no additional cost.”
Accordingly, Moderna has requested authorization of a 50 µg dose from global regulators.
As to its arrangements with COVAX, the global equity organization still has the option to purchase 233 million more doses in the second half of 2022. All doses purchased so far have been at 100 µg per dose, but Moderna noted that it would offer its 50 µg doses to COVAX at no additional cost if they end up approved.
These doses will benefit the 92 low and middle-income countries currently participating in the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC).